The holidays are wonderful times of fun gatherings with friends, family get-togethers, and office parties. The season gives us plenty of opportunities to celebrate, but along with the festivities comes an increased risk of getting charged with DWI (driving while impaired). DWI charges have severe penalties, so if you are facing DWI charges, you will want to present a vigorous defense. Many people wonder why the risk of getting a DWI increases around the holidays.
More Parties and Gatherings
The holidays bring many more reasons to celebrate with friends, family members, and co-workers. You may have a busy schedule with different parties every weekend. Certainly, these parties often include alcohol. The more you participate in these events, the more likely you are to make poor judgments and get behind the wheel after consuming alcohol. This increases your chances of getting stopped for driving while impaired.
Later Hours
Many restaurants and bars extend their hours of operation during the holiday season. This gives you the potential to drink alcohol for a longer period of time. You may not even realize that you have consumed more drinks than usual, and you may not always realize that you are possibly impaired. Driving later at night may also increase the chance that the police may pull you over for a violation or for suspicion of DUI.
Pressure to Participate
Even if you generally do not stop for a drink after work with co-workers, the holidays bring more pressure to participate. Office parties are also a common occurrence, and many companies expect their employees to attend these events. If you are not used to drinking, even just a drink or two could get you tipsier than anticipated. Friends and others may pressure you into staying longer than you wanted, and as a result, you may have too much to drink.
Increased Travel
Although you may not travel much during the rest of the year, many more people take to the roads during the holiday season. The holidays are often filled with travel plans, including both short and long trips. You may be more likely to be on the road to travel to visit friends or relatives. This increases the risk of being involved in an accident or getting pulled over by police.
Sobriety Checkpoints
Law enforcement knows the increased possibility of people driving while impaired during the holidays. As a result, they often operate sobriety checkpoints, also called DUI checkpoints. These designated locations require some drivers to stop for a check. The police may check for a valid driver’s license and insurance and may ensure that a driver is not impaired. If police believe that a driver may be impaired, they will request the driver to participate in field sobriety tests and/or a breath test.
What to Do if You are Charged With DWI
DWI charges are significant, and you must take them seriously. If convicted of DWI, you could face penalties that may include the suspension of your driving privileges, fines, participation in alcohol education courses, jail time, and more. A DWI conviction could cause problems in other areas of your life. There are some possible ways to defend against DWI depending on the specific circumstances of your situation. A knowledgeable criminal defense attorney will help protect your rights and defend against the charges.
If you have been charged with DWI, do not hesitate to call us at Arnold & Smith, PLLC, at (704) 370-2828 to speak with our legal team.
The criminal defense attorneys at Arnold & Smith, PLLC make it their mission to zealously defend their clients on a wide range of criminal matters at both the state and federal levels. These matters may include any charge from traffic offenses; DWI/DUI; drug charges (from simple possession to possession with intent to distribute and trafficking); gun permit denials; weapons offenses; and property crimes (larceny, breaking and entering, robbery, fraud, embezzlement, white collar offenses); to sexually related offenses (indecent exposure; sexual assault, crimes against nature, removal from sex offender registry); and violent crimes (domestic violence; assault; manslaughter; homicide, murder). Other legal issues that Arnold & Smith, PLLC criminal clients may be facing include restraining orders, restraining order and probation violations, expungements; appeals; and immigration issues related to criminal charges. Our criminal defense attorneys are passionate about ensuring that individuals empower themselves by being informed about their constitutional rights, and stand at the ready to fight in the defense of those facing criminal charges.
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